Download Expedited Partner Therapy

Expedited Partner Therapy
In December 2014, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law legislation that authorizes Expedited Partner
Therapy (EPT) for patients receiving diagnosis of sexually transmitted diseases and whose partners are not likely to
seek treatment on their own. MPA has worked with the Michigan Department of Community Health to establish
recommended guidelines for the implementation of these patient services. Please review the guidelines below, and
if you have any questions, please contact Eric Roath, Pharm.D., MPA director of professional practice, at (517) 3770224 or by email at [email protected].
Summary EPT Clinical Guidelines for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea
Pharmacy Information
Michigan Department of Community Health
January 2015
- Patient’s diagnosis: Clinical or laboratory diagnosis of chlamydia or gonorrhea.
- Appropriate patients for EPT: Those with partner(s) who are unable or unlikely to seek timely clinical
services.
- Recommended drug regimens:
* Sexual partners of patients with chlamydia, but, not gonorrhea:
Azithromycin 1 gram orally, once
* Sexual partners of patients with gonorrhea, regardless of chlamydia test result:
Cefixime 400 mg orally, once, PLUS Azithromycin 1 gram orally, once
- If a prescription is provided, clinicians are asked to:
* Individual prescriptions are given for each partner
* The prescription, if possible, should be made out in the partner’s name
* If the partner name is unavailable, the prescription is made to Expedited Partner Therapy
* In this instance, use January 1 of the current year for the date-of-birth
* Additionally, the pharmacist should gather some identifying information from the person who will be
picking up the prescription (such as their initials) to differentiate between multiple EPT prescriptions.
- Informational materials provided by clinician: Clear instructions, including contraindications and clinic
referrals, should be provided for each partner.
- Patient counseling: Abstinence for seven days after treatment.
- EPT is NOT recommended for:
* Men who have sex with men diagnosed with gonorrhea: EPT is not recommended due to the lack of data
to demonstrate the effectiveness in this population and the risk of missing STD/HIV co-infections.
* Patients co-infected with treatable STDs, other than chlamydia or gonorrhea
* Cases of suspected child abuse or sexual assault
* Situations where a patient’s safety is in question
* For partners with known allergies to antibiotics
- If the prescription or patient falls into any of these categories, contact the prescriber for referral.